Flood situation remains grim in India's Assam, rescue ops underway

The flood situation remained grim in India's northeastern Assam state on Friday with nearly 700,000 people affected in 27 districts by the deluge triggered by pre-monsoon rains. Disaster management officials were seen rescuing people to higher grounds and providing relief material.  Pakistan's new foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during his U.S. visit on Thursday said he would seek to pivot away from single-issue transactional relationship with the United States. His remarks came as Islamabad seeks to repair ties with Washington frayed due to ousted premier Imran Khan's harsh anti-U.S. rhetoric. He however defended Khan's trip to Moscow on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. Sri Lanka appointed nine new cabinet members on Friday, among them ministers for the critical portfolios of health, trade and tourism, as the island nation battles its worst economic crisis in history. Tourism-dependent Sri Lanka is facing a dire shortage of foreign exchange, fuel and medicines, and economic activity has slowed to a crawl. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mine-affected countries of the world. The OMAR Mine Museum in Afghan capital Kabul showcases the peril of war in the country. It also acts as a training and education centre for land mine and unexploded ordnance clearance.